Kenall Manufacturing
Industry: Manufacturing
Address: 10200 55th St., Kenosha
Employees: 550
Website: www.kenall.com
Kenosha-based Kenall Manufacturing is on the fast track for growth and expansion, but the company is relatively new to the Kenosha area. The company, formerly headquartered in Gurnee, Ill., outgrew its existing facility and in April 2014 purchased 32 acres in the Business Park of Kenosha.
Kenall manufactures high abuse lighting fixtures for use in difficult-to-light areas.
According to Randy Hernandez, vice president of manufacturing operations at Kenall, the company polled its employees and made a strategic decision to remain close, but move 15 miles north to Kenosha.
“Wisconsin and the Kenosha area was very business-oriented and extremely responsive in all respects,” Hernandez said. “We had a few locations to choose between, including some in northern Illinois, but ultimately decided on Kenosha.”
Kenall constructed a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and began early production in the facility in November 2014. In January, the company’s executive team and headquarters relocated.
A total of $25 million was spent on major investments in the facility, including a temperature-controlled plant and new welding and fabrication machines. The company also has an additional 13 acres on which to expand in the future.
Kenall was founded in 1963 and started out creating the first impact- and vandal-resistant lighting products. Today, it is focused on providing advanced lighting systems for high abuse industries, including transportation, health care, food processing, and clean room and containment environments.
The company’s product line includes innovations like the Indigo-Clean, a light fixture that reduces harmful bacteria.
The company’s ability to meet the needs of an innovative market has driven its growth, Hernandez said.
